By Zach Wright
When you think of Minnesota Vikings football, one name comes to mind: Adrian Peterson. Whether it be for the accolades such as being a six time pro bowler, former Madden cover athlete, rookie of the year, two-time rushing champion, NFL MVP, or if it’s for the headlines stemming from a child abuse scandal that resulted in suspension, you think of Adrian Peterson. But up until this morning, there was question as to whether Peterson would even be playing in purple this season.
Today it was announced that Peterson would return to football and join his team at Winter Park to take part in OTAs. The news broke early Tuesday morning in a tweet from ESPN’s Josina Anderson saying that “Adrian Peterson is in Minnesota and plans on attending OTA’s resuming today.” In an email sent to the Associated Press, Peterson said he’s “been away from the game for an entire season and wants a chance to be around the players, coaches, and other guys that really matter to him.” Peterson’s agent Ben Dogra also told the Associated Press that neither he nor Peterson have received any assurances that changes to his contract are on the table. Once Adrian Peterson makes the team out of training camp and hits the field Week 1, his $12.75 million is guaranteed for the 2015 season. After that is still unknown, but as for now, all signs point to Adrian Peterson being a vital asset to the Vikings, who begin training camp July 25.
But the question still remains: What should the Vikings do with Peterson after the 2015 season?
Let’s recap the last few months first. During the offseason prior to the NFL draft, Adrian Peterson was reinstated after serving a suspension after an investigation of child abuse. Last August, it was reported that Adrian Peterson spoke to Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and expressed interest in one day “playing for the ‘Boys.” Although people took it with a grain of salt, it did raise the question of what happens with Adrian once his deal is finished with Minnesota or would he be traded before the deal is over. Throughout the suspension, Adrian Peterson and his agent Ben Dogra made it clear that they weren’t happy with the future Hall of Fame running back’s position with the Minnesota Vikings. In February of this year at the NFL combine, Ben Dogra and Vikings Vice President of Football Operations Rob Brzezinski reportedly had to be physically separated following a verbal altercation where Dogra said Peterson would “never play in Minnesota again.”
In the months following the altercation, it looked more and more like Adrian Peterson was not going to be a member of the Minnesota Vikings. He is due $12.75 million in this season, $14.75 million in 2016, and $16.75 million in 2017, so it would have made sense to cut ties and free up cap space to potentially sign free agents and/or bring assets in to help make the team better as a whole through the draft. Free agency and the draft have come and gone, and Peterson is still a member of the Vikings, but he and his agent once again have shown disinterest in Minnesota, and in NFL contracts in a sequence of tweets from Adrian Peterson himself.
Though the tweets tell a different story, Peterson spoke to ESPN’s Josina Anderson and said the reason for him not attending the OTA’s are because he wants to “secure his future with the Vikings.” and he says it’s not “personal, it’s a business.”
Only time will tell if Peterson will remain with the Vikings beyond this year, but the question the Vikings organization has to ask now is whether or not it’s worth keeping him around long-term.
Since 2007, when the Vikings drafted Adrian Peterson, until the end of the 2013 season, the team has averaged 4.8 rushing yards per play and 5.3 yards per play in general as an offense. Last year without Peterson, the team averaged 4.4 yards per carry and 5.1 yards per play on offense. So if you ask if Peterson really does make that much of a difference, in a passing NFL league, the answer is no. Stats don’t make it an absolute necessity that he is a member of the team, but what about how he affects other players? Typically when Peterson is in the backfield, the defense loads up seven or eight players in the box to stop him. Would they be that generous now that the Vikings seem to have a passing game that could pose as a threat?
It’s a win-win if you’re the Vikings because either defenses do load the box and the passing game beats the defense, or they play more coverage and Peterson rushes against four or five players. So if you’re a defensive coordinator, pick your poison.
No one has ever doubted the skill of Adrian Peterson, and before the issue with his son, he’s never been a guy to be in the news for negative reasons. There’s serious doubt that he would be a cancer in the locker room for the younger players, but instead could be that veteran leader much like we’ve seen Kevin Garnett and Torii Hunter be for the Timberwolves and Twins, respectively. It’s a highly debated topic that everyone has opinions on, but that can wait until next offseason. All we know now is that Peterson will be lining up behind Teddy Bridgewater Week 1 at San Francisco.
Zach Wright is an assistant producer for Radioactive Sports and The Bob Sansevere Show on weekdays as well as for Cold Omaha’s The Wake Up Call which can be heard every Sunday morning at 8 a.m.